Van ECK Associates Corp Raises Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 77.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,378,136 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.37% of United Parcel Service worth $397,329,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% during the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE UPS opened at $114.25 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.40 and a 12 month high of $158.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.90, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $125.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $129.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.47 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.74%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 96.45%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Baird R W downgraded United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.